On September 6, 2006, the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents voted to accept a $25 million donation from Jay H. Shidler and name the University of Hawai'i College of Business Administration after him. The new name is now the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.

The gift is the largest single donation to the University of Hawai‘i from a private donor. Shidler, an alumnus of the college (BBA ‘68), is a longtime commercial real estate investor and entrepreneur who resides in Honolulu.

“I love Hawai'i and want our community, its residents and businesses to have access to a top-ranked business school within our state.”

“We are grateful to Jay Shidler for his extraordinary investment in our vision to propel our business program into the top ranks of the nation’s business schools,” said Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business. “Jay embodies the values we strive to instill in our outstanding new business people – entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, discerning business judgment, integrity and a sense of community.”

According to Roley, the gift supports:

• Student scholarships
• Endowed faculty positions to attract nationally recognized instructors, lecturers and researchers
• Increased faculty support for summer research and visiting faculty
• Endowments that will provide ongoing resources to meet the college’s needs, including annual allocations for professorships, fellowships and research seminar series
• A matching gift program to endow new professorships, fellowships and scholarships
• Academic programs including a Full-time MBA program to complement the college’s existing Part-time MBA program
• Renovations including upgrades to buildings, classrooms and the surrounding landscape

“I’m genuinely honored and humbled to have my name associated with the University of Hawai‘i’s business program,” Shidler said. “It’s my school. It helped prepare me for a career in business and launch The Shidler Group decades ago. But never did I imagine being in a position to contribute to University of Hawai‘i like this. I share Dean Roley’s vision for taking the business school to new heights and am grateful to be able to support his vision.

“I love Hawai‘i and want our community, its residents and businesses to have access to a top-ranked business school within our state. I believe Hawai‘i is not only a special place in which to do business but also a viable place from which to conduct geographically diverse businesses. Having a strong business school will enhance our state’s ability to play a larger role in national and international commerce.